Anton Ego's I Do Not X
Contents
About
“Anton Ego's I Do Not X” is a copypasta caption format set above a still of food critic Anton Ego from Pixar's Ratatouille leaning over Linguini with a glare. The caption follows a fixed rhythm: a few lines of "I don't X. I don't Y.", one proud "I do Z with passion", and a closer along the lines of "and if it goes wrong then I DON'T CARE." Each version swaps in jargon from a hobby or fandom, and most of it circulates on X / Twitter and Tumblr.
Origin
The image comes from Ratatouille, released on June 29th, 2007. In the scene, Linguini jabs that Ego is thin for someone who likes food, and Ego answers that he doesn't "like" food, he loves it, and if he doesn't love it, he doesn't swallow. That line had already turned into the I Don't Like X, I Love It! format around 2018.
On January 20th, 2024, X user @shitpostsenpai1 posted the still with a heavily altered version of Ego's speech about edging and gooning. A Tumblr screenshot a few days later picked up about 28,000 likes, and an August 2024 repost by @armpitj0b passed 135,000 likes and set off a wave of fan dubs. The format went fully viral after December 26th, 2024, when @Signs0fRoses posted a version about posting on X, and people started rewriting it for every niche they could think of.
Meaning
The meme is a mock-defiant confession. The poster lists all the "proper" ways to do something (running damage calcs, studying frame data, picking meta characters), rejects every one, and admits they just go by instinct or obsession. Gamers took to it fast, especially fighting game and competitive players whose communities have plenty of jargon to throw out, and fandoms use it the same way to brag about their devotion to a character.
The tone is self-deprecating bravado. Ego's sneer makes the poster sound like a snobbish expert, while the text admits they're doing it badly on purpose and are proud of it.
Examples
Popularity
See also